In offseason of change, A.J. Cann back with Jaguars

Friday

It was an offseason filled with change for Jaguars right guard A.J. Cann.

He became a father, as he and his fiancee, Kendal Fordham, welcomed their daughter, Kennie Amelia, into the world on Valentine’s Day.

“Being a dad is the best thing in the world,” he said after Thursday’s organized team activity. “Having a daughter is awesome. It’s amazing. I wouldn’t stop talking about her, but I know we have to move on. I would talk about her all day.”

And he lost some weight: his signature dreadlocks that he had sported since playing college football at South Carolina.

“I decided to grow up a little,” he said. “I would have cut it eventually and then [Kennie] would look at me and say, ‘Who the hell is that?’”

Then throw in a new position coach, George Warhop, who Cann says is lighting a fire under the Jaguars offensive line.

What didn’t change was Cann's uniform.

After completing his fourth professional season in 2018, Cann was an unrestricted free agent. The conventional wisdom was that the 2015 third-round draft pick, who has had his share of ups and downs on the field, would bolt for more money than the Jaguars were willing to pay.

Speculation began even as the season was winding down — one in which Cann was the only starting offensive lineman who did not miss multiple games because of injury, one more example of his durability.

Multiple reports had teams placing Cann on their free-agency wish lists, and it almost seemed a forgone conclusion in Jacksonville that his days were numbered.

Cann said he paid no attention to the noise.

“You try your best not to think about the situation,” he said. “You try your best to think about the moment in time. I did a good job of not worrying about that and playing for the team and trying to win games.”

And with Kennie Amelia being born a month before the first day of free agency, Cann made his choice. He stayed put, signing a three-year, $15 million contract with the Jaguars.

“I’m definitely glad to be back,” he said. “A lot of things went on during the offseason with the team and the moves they made. This is where I wanted to be. It’s home. I’ve got a daughter here. I had to do a lot of thinking about the whole situation and I think I made the best choice for my family.”

That was just fine with Jaguars coach Doug Marrone, who was Cann’s position coach his first two years in the league.

“Obviously we felt that we wanted him back,” Marrone said. “We didn’t know if we’d be able to get him back. You never know when someone hits the open market, what other teams are going to do. I was happy.”

Cann is an important key in the Jaguars improving on offense. The team fell from first in 2017 to 19th in the NFL in rushing and tied for third in allowing the most sacks with 53.

Cann said Warhop has the right mentality to lead a position group battered by injuries, roundly criticized for the dismal offensive performance last season and trying to work in second-round draft pick Jawaan Taylor at right tackle.

“It’s the intensity, his fire,” Cann said about Warhop. “He’s a guy who wants it during drills, wants it during the reps, looking for the best effort. With that kind of mentality, that kind of coach will push the line and push the team and I think that’s what he’s doing the best job of doing, making sure he’s getting the best out of all of his players.”

Marrone said Cann's effort has never been in question and believes he will benefit from Warhop’s tutelage.

“He [Cann] wants to do well, but sometimes the results have been kind of up and down, and A.J. will be the first to tell you that,” Marrone said. “What we’re doing is we’re working extremely hard with A.J. to make sure we do create that consistency. That’s his goal. That’s our goal.”

One thing Marrone also won’t question is Cann’s toughness.

Cann has missed only four games in four years (he didn’t miss a game at South Carolina, which means he has played 112 of 116, or 96 percent, in college and the NFL) and has started 59 of the 60 Jaguars games for which he’s suited up.

Cann played every offensive snap in 2016. The only two games he’s missed in the past two seasons have been because of a triceps injury.

He struggles to explain why he is so durable.

“It’s mentally fighting,” he said. “You get nicks, bruises but at the end of the day I’ve always been that type to play through little minor things. “I don’t let them bother me. I can’t tell you what it is and what it ain’t.”

Marrone said Cann clearly wears his toughness as a badge of honor.

“A.J. has always been a great example of someone who is available and coachable,” Marrone said. “He plays through minor injuries and minor things. It’s important to him.”

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.

Stay Connected

Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted.
The St. Augustine Record ~ One News Place, St. Augustine, FL 32086 ~ Privacy Policy ~ Terms Of Service